David M Rangel / February 18, 2026 / Reviews
The Internet is a more ubiquitous presence in our daily life than ever before. Social media sites, such as TikTok have revolutionized the music industry, making it possible for any up-and-coming band or artist to bypass traditional musical gatekeeping to get their name out there in hopes of being the next big, new thing. With so many new acts coming out in seemingly endless droves, it stands to reason that there is very little left these days, in the way of original musical style.
But some artists aren’t necessarily setting out to be the newest thing under the sun. They pay homage to sounds of bygone days, while putting their own modern spin upon it. Captain Wilberforce is just such a band. Their character driven songs take their cues from a diverse array of sounds including 70s AM radio pop, 80s new wave acts in the vein of XTC, Elvis Costello, et al and cerebral, mature pop stylings à la Crowded House, Split Enz and Squeeze. Further insert the name of any number of power, pop bands and you have the mixture that Captain Wilberforce have blended to create their own particular recipe for pop bliss.
“Holding On” sets this record off to an energetic start. It’s the kind of “slightly 60s, very 80s” British-sounding pop song that taste makers like college radio, and Los Angeles’ KROQ would have been playing when alternative radio was in its infancy. Immediately noticeable on first listen is singer Simon Bristol’s vocals which sound almost identical to those of Crowded House’s Neil Finn. While the comparison at this point may be growing tiresome to the band, one could do much worse.
The vocally angular, punkish-sounding rave-up that is “Four Words And The Enter Key” shows the band to be capable of creating a good old-fashioned meat and potatoes guitar song. It’s complete with a “there and gone“ minimal guitar solo that sounds like the musical equivalent of the excitement of being young. While the tune sounds like it could have originated in the late 70s, the subject matter is definitely set in the present with its sarcastic exclamations about artificial intelligence, taking over human’s ability to think.
Captain Wilberforce shows more eclecticism with “Can’t Get It Out Of My Head” – a piano centric sing/speak style lament that sounds like it’s straight out of a Broadway play – and “Dreaming Out Loud”, a sad but tuneful electric-acoustic guitar song with a bit of shimmer and focus upon the proverbial pain of loss over a girl. Both songs show the band’s musical depth as does the folk-pop vibe of the Elliott Smith-ish sound of “Without Your Light”.
Perhaps the best example of the sheer “pop“ the band seems to define themselves by is the carnivalesque keyboard whimsy of “Christine, You’re A Drag”. The bubblegum garage rack flavor of the track is a tried and tested formula that never goes out of style. “Lighter Shade Of Blue” is a well placed acoustic closer that leaves behind the cacophony of much of the rest of the record and fades out as if to say, “until next time“.
While the aforementioned Neil Finn comparisons are obvious throughout the record and can’t be denied, Captain Wilberforce show themselves to be much more than a Crowded House clone. They have a talent for taking the general style of adult sounding pop and leading it into different musical directions. The resulting sound is timeless enough to appeal to those who love “ pop” songs from previous decades, as well as listeners who like a modern take on classic a sound.
The album will be out on all streaming services this Friday. For now, listen to the single on Bandcamp.
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